Four Rockford-area players make first-team All-State in boys basketball
The Class 1A Illinois Media All-State boys basketball team looks like a Rockford all-area team.
Local players dominated the Illinois Media All-State teams, released late Wednesday night. Three of the five players named first-team in Class 1A were from either current or former NUIC schools, while Byron’s Ryan Tucker made first team in 2A and Rockford Christian’s Christian Cummings made the 2A second team.
“Our area is so talented. I wondered if that would work against them,” South Beloit coach Matt Stucky said. “There are still players left off, like (Fulton’s Baylen) Damhoff. Whether the state honors him or not, he’s a first-team caliber player.”
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Damhoff was honorable mention this year, missing second team by one spot.
The Illinois Media team is the most exclusive All-State team, with only five players chosen first team and five more second team in each of the state’s four classes.
Here are the local players who were selected:
CLASS 1A
Ross Robertson, South Beloit
After two years of being an honorable mention choice, the 6-foot-8 junior forward made first team. He averaged 26.1 points, 15 rebounds, 2.4 blocked shots and 2.7 assists. He broke the school’s all-time scoring record this year and now has over 2,000 points and almost 1,300 career rebounds.
Robertson shot 68 percent from the field and 39 percent on 3s. He was the only returning starter this year on a team that finished 25-8. He has led the Sobos to 25 or more wins three years in a row at a program that before him had three 25-win seasons in school history.
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“It’s a huge honor for him,” Stucky said. “I thought he was deserving last year. This All-State team is a tough one to get on to, especially as a sophomore. This year, with all the accolades he has accomplished, it put him over the top.”
Thomas Hereau, Scales Mound
Hereau, a 6-3 senior guard, was second-team last year when he led one of the smallest schools in the state with no returning starters to a state runner-up finish. This year he averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.8 steals for a 23-9 team. He also won the Class 1A state golf title.
Cooper Hoffman, Pecatonica
The 6-1 junior guard led Pecatonica to the first sectional title in school history. He shot 58 percent and averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.8 steals for a team that finished 31-6 and set school records in wins three years in a row. Pecatonica barely missed the state semifinals, losing by two points in overtime in supersectionals.
CLASS 2A
Ryan Tucker, Byron
Tucker, a 6-3 senior guard, was the second-leading vote getter in Class 2A with 99 points, one behind Benton’s 6-6 power forward Docker Tedeschi, whom he will face in Thursday’s state semifinals. Tucker averages 23.1 points on 53.3 percent shooting, with 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists for a team that is a school-record 31-2 and has clinched its first-ever state trophy.
Christian Cummings, Rockford Christian
Cummings, a 5-10 junior guard, was named second team. He averaged 23.8 points for a team that went 23-8. He also averaged 23 points as a sophomore.
Rockford Lutheran senior Vontez Dent made honorable mention in 2A.
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: 4 of 10 All-State small school boys basketball players Rockford locals
